Smartisan which is a Chinese startup that manufactures smartphones has just launched their second device called the U1 or JianGuo. The U1 will sell at a base price of 899 Yuan (US$140) which translates to around Rs 9,200.
The device is largely made of plastic and has a design that reminds us of the Xiaomi Mi 4i except for the back panel which looks very different. The back panel is available in a wide range of colours as can be seen in the photos and has a unique grooved vertically striped design to it with the company logo at the center. This should provide better grip and make it easier to handle the phone. The phone can also match the colour of the UI with that of the back cover.
Interestingly, the device has volume rockers on both the left as well as right side. So, one side can be assigned to control the volume while the other rocker key can be used to adjust the screen brightness. You can also hold both the keys together to take an instant photo even when the phone is in sleep.
The device has a highly customised UI called Smartisan OS that offers several different options and features such as disc scratching in the music app, integrated business card scanner, ability to sort apps in many ways including according to colour etc.
The specifications of the device are as follows:
- 5.5″ 1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Snapdragon 615 Processor (4×1.5GHz Cortex-A53 + 4×1.0GHz Cortex-A53)
- 2GB RAM, NFC
- 16GB/32GB Internal Memory
- 13 Megapixel Rear Camera with f2.2 Aperture
- 5 Megapixel Front Facing Camera with f2.2 Aperture
- DualSIM with LTE Support (Bands 1/3/7)
- 2900mAH Battery
The phone will be available for purchase in China starting from September 1st. Although this phone hasn’t been declared as a China exclusive, there is still no word regarding its global availability. The 16GB version will set you back 899 Yuan (US$140) or Rs9,200 and the 32GB version will cost you 999 Yuan (US$160) or Rs10,500.